Italy - A Postcard from the Amalfi Coast

An Eight Day Grand tour to Italy

Day One: Home to Vietri Sur Mare
Bit of a last minute thing but we decided to go to Italy and survey the Amalfi Coast.
EasyJet gave us the best deal on flights to Naples but it meant a very early start at 1:45 am. Road closures bedeviled our journey and we made the 06:40 flight from Gatwick with only 10 minutes to spare!
Anyway, a happy landing in Italy. We headed for the bus into Naples followed up by two train rides. One train to took us to Salerno and then, after an OK lunch at the seafront, a Regional Train full of school kids to Vietri Sur Mare. Our lodgings were just down the road from the station and our hostess was waiting for us at Casa Mare, a nice little private Apartment.
Vietri is renowned for its Ceramics and is not as posh and touristy as other towns on the Amalfi Coast. Lots of little shops and cafes in the busy town built high on a steep cliff-side. It takes about 20 mins to get down to the water with its beaches and restaurants. It took these already weary tourists a good deal longer. We wandered around town and eventually found some steep steps. People were on the beach, enjoying the Autumn sunshine. We needed a comfy seat and a dust-buster and found a cafe with a large terrace on the front U'Chevalier Di Mare Trattoria and Beach Bar. A good location for a spot of people watching and Latin acclimatisation.  We settled in nicely but were pretty tired after our early start.

Vietri Sur Mare

The walk back uphill was a bit of an effort. We decided to cook up our dinner at home and have an early night. We did not see any Supermarkets in town so we called in at one of the little shops we had seen earlier. It was tiny, not much bigger than a single garage, but it was stacked to the roof with all kinds of produce. Father and Son were at the till. The lad was about eight. We managed a bit of banter and came away with our pasta, tuna and sauce. Not the last pasta meal we would have on this trip to Italy.

We had been warned by our Host that the traffic past our Apartment was very heavy. That did prove to be the case but nothing would stop us sleeping. Traffic was being diverted past our front door because the authorities were carrying out bridge inspections on the main road following the recent terrible tragedy in Genoa.
We even opted to stay on for a second night.

Day 2: Vietri to Minori and back
The forecast for the following day was fine so I was dispatched early to our little shop to buy some breakfast. Buying bread was easy, getting Honey was a bit sticky. I asked for melli but that is probably Greek so I had to resort to buzzing like a bee which worked splendidly.  Time to head off on our first adventure. We we were heading westward along the coast to Maiori on the SITA bus. The buses are really cheap but you cannot buy a ticket on the bus, you have to find a local shop that sells them. Eventually we found out they were available from a Ceramic dealer up the road. I had to run to the shop, more of a hobble really, and get a couple of tickets. Fortunately, the bus was late and we climbed aboard. The Amalfi Coast road is super scenic but busy, narrow and hellishly bendy. Not a place we would ever consider driving. There would be lots of narrow squeezes and neck swiveling reverses.

Heading past the Church in Maiori on the Sentiero dei Limoni

Terraces on the way to Minori

From Major to Minor....on foot
Maiori is a pleasant town with a good beach. The seafront promenade is smart with some nice shady trees and cafe's. We headed inland up the main shopping street for a crafty coffee and cake to build us up for the walk to Minori. The Lemon walk, Sentiero dei Limoni, between the two villages was very pretty and scenic. Initially there were lots of steps up taking us up to the Church and passing houses painted white. Then there was a flat section through the lemon groves before the path dropped down into Minori, This lovely sunny walk of about an hour was definitely a highlight and was a good initiation into the quiet side of the Amalfi Coast. It was a total contrast to the frantic coast road. We had an OK lunch at a restaurant in Minori. The Restaurant owner was a bit grumpy, this was an exception as everywhere else we went gave us good friendly service.

Narrow paths

TW taking steps

We enjoyed the Lemon Walk so much we did it twice. We opted to return the same way rather than take the coastal path. Safely back in Maiori we then needed to take the bus home to Vietri.  What a struggle we had to find a place to buy a ticket! We kept asking people in the street but they kept sending us to places that were either closed or had given up selling tickets. Eventually we found tickets at the Lotto shop and made sure we bought some extras for future journeys.

We knew where the bus stop was but after waiting for about half an hour I realised I had misread the time table. We ended up hanging around, in total, for about an hour. Those 60 minutes would have been better spent in the Sea or eating Ice Cream. Then, when the bus did eventually arrive we had a very jerky driver.  I was sitting near the back and started to feel very fragile indeed. I was really relieved to get to Vietri. Overall, it was a great day out but we decided to re-think our mode of travel - less bus, more boat!
Back in Vietri we opted for a dinner at U'Chevalier Di Mare Trattoria our Beach Bar.
It meant another walk down to the seaside and then back up in the dark but we enjoyed it.

Day 3: Vietri to Amalfi by train then boat

Minori from our Ferry 

Our new improved travel strategy, to travel by boat, meant returning on the very short train ride to Salerno and then taking a ferry from the Port. There are no boats from Vietri unfortunately. The Salerno Ferry port is just a short walk from the railway station. We had a bit of a problem finding somewhere nice to eat though. The 'Fishermans' Restaurant on the Quay would have been ideal but it did not open until 1pm and by then we needed to be on the ferry. I was sent to get some sandwiches but they were not edible and ended up in the bin. We decided to eat on arrival in Amalfi. The Ferry Boat was not very big and most of the seats were taken up by a French tour group. They had taken, what they thought were, the best seats up on the top deck. More by luck than good judgement, we took up residence in some sheltered seats downstairs at the back. Our route along the coast stopping at Cetara, Minori and Maiori was into the wind and a heavy swell was building. Our French co-passengers were soaked by spray and eventually they were told to move into the cabin downstairs to improve the stability of the wee boat. We stayed comfortably dry and enjoyed our one hour mini cruise.  It was brilliant to see the coast from sea level rather than from a stuffy SITA bus.

Beautiful Amalfi 

Our boat literally surfed into Amalfi and this hungry pair dashed for a late lunch at The Amalfi Terminal right near the quay and bus station. A couple of cruise ships were anchored just off-shore so the Port area was very busy with tour group shuttles coming and going. The only remarkable thing about the lunch was the waiters eye-brows. The natural ones had been replaced by tattoos?
Next task was to find a place to stay. The Tourist Office gave us a list of Hotels and Pensions. TW stayed with the bags and I walked the short distance into the square. I looked up and saw the sign for Residenz Luce. Within minutes we were checked in for 100 Euros a night. More than we wanted to pay but it was the Amalfi Coast after all. It's a really nice little Hotel with about 10 rooms very close to the Duomo. We were made very welcome, the customer service was excellent. Just up the road is l'abside, a Restaurant run by the sister of the Hotel owner. Coincidentally, this Restaurant had already been recommended to us by a Canadian couple we met earlier in Salerno. We booked a table inside as the weather was worsening. The food and service were both very good and with a 10% discount and free limoncello we were back with them the next night as well. Amalfi is a fine place for a browse and a wander. Yes, it was busy but still very pleasant with lots of alleys and little shops. It was very touristy in comparison to Vietri but visitor numbers were boosted by our cruising shipmates.

Day 4 : Amalfi to Ravello and back via Atrani

Amalfi

Amalfi Coast Grand Tour Day 4 and we are pleased to report we managed to stay away from the SITA buses for another day! There were no Ferries today as the sea was too rough. After a good breakfast on the Upstairs Terrace we instead we took the Cemetery lift up the cliffside and a very devious path to Atrani. By the way, the Cemetary lift only goes up and not down so TW was prepared to get in. We squeezed along very narrow paths between white painted buildings until we reached the square in Atrani. Atrani is Amalfi's quieter, unspoiled, and more authentic neighbour, We sat on a wall by the sea and watched the waves for a while before heading inland up the Dragons Path to Ravello. TW tried to coax me to go in the sea but she failed. Lots of steps up again and we would have taken a wrong turn but for a stranger who happened by at a crucial moment. We took to the road for some of the walk but happily it was not not too busy. The climb from Atrani is well over 350metres so it felt a few degrees colder up in Ravello. A Panini and a beer went down well as we sat out in the main square and watched the people go by. The centre of Ravello is really quite smart. Greta Garbo came here on holiday apparently but she would not be alone here today,

Taking Steps

It was inundated with tour groups but anyway that did not detract too much from the glamour of the place.

 The square in Ravello

We found a new route back to Atrani through lemon groves and, as we descended, it gave us great views along the coast towards Maiori. We waved to a family picking Oranges and Lemons and they invited us down into their orchard and gave us fruit to fortify us for the journey. A very nice moment on our walk down. We brought the lemons home with us but tried to eat the oranges over there, a bit sour sadly! We took photos and wished afterwards we had asked for their email to send them a copy. It was lovely to have some contact with the locals. The Dad worked at one of the seafront Restaurants in Amalfi.

A nice moment on the lovely walk from Ravello to Atrani

It was great to do a circular walk rather than just retracing our steps. There were lots of irregular steps going down so they had to be taken carefully but we made it safely back to Atrani without seeing any other tourists en route. Then it was back through the skinny alleys to the Amalfi seafront and a return to our posh hotel room.

Nearly back to Atrani

The cruise ships were long gone but it was Saturday afternoon and still quite busy in town. We were back in L'abside for an early Dinner before a stroll around town and a march along the quay. It was still warm but the weather seemed very unsettled. The ferries would not be running the next day so we needed to steel ourselves for a SITA bus journey on Day 5.

Day 5: Amalfi to Positano

TW checks out the Breakfast terrace at Residenz Luce

Last steps to our Hotel

No breakfast on the upstairs terrace today! It was going to be a wet one! It was only a short walk to the bus station and we claimed good seats near the front of the bus that goes from Amalfi to Sorrento. Our destination was Positano and thankfully the journey was OK, the views were lovely. It's great to be in the big dominant vehicle as you head around the coast. It's up to the opposing cars  to do the reversing and we had some sympathy for the cars struggling to get out of our way. I suppose if everyone drove around in little Fiat 500's it would be a little easier but of course they don't. The road is so narrow and busy. It was, of course, a relief to arrive at Positano. The road down into Town gets even narrower so the bus dropped us up above and we walked downhill in light rain. We were towing bags and after a bit of exploration we decided upon a celebratory arrival drink. We found a nice Cafe, Casa Bottega. I had a beer and was reminded by TW that it was before the 'beering hour' of midday. In my defence the clocks had only gone back the night before. I was only queasy on one bus journey but, after that experience, every bus ride was something to be endured rather than enjoyed and every safe arrival was a cause for celebration. We waited for the rain to abate and headed for our pre-booked hotel. The waitress in our Cafe had told us it was near the Church. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong Church and we went too far downhill. Disaster struck! TW slipped and fell on a manhole cover. She was clearly in a lot of pain. We did not know whether it was a case of broken wrist or a bad sprain. We headed back uphill to our Hotel. Our host Giuseppe was very kind and brought an ice pack and offered to drive us to Sorrento and the Hospital. Eventually after a sleep we opted to stay in Positano. We strapped the wrist and bought a sling and pain-killers.
Our Hotel the Villa Maria Antionetta was a decent price and Giuseppe served an excellent breakfast. Crucially, we had a great sea view from our first floor window.
Dinner that evening up the road at Brunos was sort of OK, nothing to write home about.

Day 6: Positano on Monday

Down on the beach at Positano

Positano from our Hotel

After an excellent Giuseppe breakfast we headed for the local Doctor. There was nobody in the waiting room. A man appeared, casually dressed. I am the doctor, come and sit down, how can I help? He inspected the wrist and said we needed to get an X ray in Sorrento the following day. Might be broken, might not. He recommended an overdose of Iburoprofen painkillers, 600mg in the morning, 600mg in the evening, and some special cream. OK, how much do we owe you. He said how much you want to pay? We talked around the houses a bit and eventually offered 50 Euros. He said that was just Pizza money and we left. He did say we should look him up on the Internet, said he was famous. We ignored the painkillers but he was a pleasant chap. Maybe he is more used to the upmarket tourists, not those on EasyJet and SITA bus rides. So we had a quieter, more leisurely time in Positano than we had planned or expected. We could not do one our long walks and could not investigate the Walk of the Gods but we had a pleasant visit under the circumstances. If we had gone on a long walk the weather would caught us out anyway. Positano is a lovely place. It reminded us a bit of Epcot at Disneyworld. Of course this might be due, in part, to it being full of Americans! It was really wild down by the beach. There were dramatic high waves and a heavy swell. We had a lovely lunch in one of the beachside restaurants, La Pergola. Wow, what we storm we had later on! We had been for a walk around town but it was unusually warm and oppressive so we headed home early. Down by the seaside they were filling sandbags.

Rough weather in the Med

Actually they were using plastic bags so when the torrent happened they were just washed away, but anyway. It was obvious something was due to happen. A high tide with on shore winds was expected but this was coupled with a dramatic electric storm and torrential rain. The end is nigh! We were very glad we were safely inside.
We had a good dinner at La Cambusa, just above the beach, once the storm had passed through.

Day 7: Positano to Sorrento

We said our farewells at Maria Antionetta and I pulled the cases back up the hill to the bus stop. The stop is right on a corner and we watched carefully for the approach of the Sorrento bus. We were desperate to get good seats at the front as the initial stretch of road was very bendy. Happily we managed to get the front seats and it was quite a pleasant ride. Once the bus leaves the coast it climbs up and passes through inland villages. It wasn't long before we started to get views of Naples Bay and Vesuvius and were on the home run down into Sorrento.

The streets of Sorrento

I had booked us at La Terrazza 38, a very smart B&B. It ticked all the boxes, it was close to the Railway Station, it had tremendous views from its large terrace and it was only a short walk to the Hospital. We checked in and marched off to Sorrento Hospital.
Oh dear, some people complain about our A&E but they should see what Italy has to offer. There has clearly been very little investment. It was difficult to find out where to go to get logged in and registered on their system. The staff were extremely busy and clearly some of the patients coming through our corridor were in a very bad way. We met an English couple there who had been there three hours. She had woken up sightless and was waiting to be seen. None of the staff were able to speak English but eventually we found an interpreter. She was a God send. TW had almost walked out twice before she was seen by the triage nurse. At least that was a start but it was anyone's guess how long it would be before she would be seen by a Doctor. Happily she was seen and sent for an X Ray downstairs in the basement. Go down in the lift and turn right. Worryingly that took her to the mortuary! We then went back upstairs worried that she would lose her radiographer slot. We verified that radiography was downstairs and this time turned left and wandered through a corridor with rooms that appeared to be dilapidated. We at last found someone who spoke English. His words were not very encouraging, 'go and wait out there'. Meanwhile, someone else appeared to have jumped in ahead of us. We sort of wandered back towards radiography at which point he became even grumpier and said 'I told you to get out, now go'. Ooh err. Probably the last person we ever want to upset is a medical professional, and certainly not one who is going to give us attention. In the end TW had her Xray. It's broken - go back upstairs! he barked. Oh well, at least we know. Back to the Doctor to get plastered. She was plastered from her knuckles to her armpit which is pretty awkward for sleeping.

Can we have a copy of the Xray to take with us? Yes, but you have to go through a convoluted process to pay for it. That was a job for tomorrow. We had dinner in a Restaurant in town recommended by Carmen at Terraza 38. Ristorante Tasso was nice enough. Quite international, you could have been anywhere in the world. We had Pizza as it was all we could afford. Amazingly our co-patient at the Hospital who lost her sight temporarily was sitting at at able 30 feet from us. Apparently she had a blood pressure episode but had miraculously recovered and was totally transformed and looked the typical English Lady on an evening out. Previously, she had looked totally washed out and was on a drip!  So well done Sorrento Hospital, a lot of what they do is obviously effective despite the limited facilities.

Day 8 Sorrento and Pompeii

Emergency treatment is free in Italy, which is lovely, but you have to make a small additional payment for an X Ray copy to take home. This involved going to the other end of the main street to the Post office. Once there, fill out a Giro payment slip, make a payment, and then return to the Hospital with proof. A very nice Italian Lady in the queue for the Post Office walked us through the process otherwise we would still be there. After our Post Office experience we returned to the Hospital, met with our lovely interpreter who went off to radiography to get the films. She really appreciated the chocolates we bought for her as a thank you.We had Paninis for lunch sitting in a very pleasant Cafe Veneruso on the Corso Italia and then headed for the Railway Station to take a train to Pompeii. The local trains are in a bit of a state and are heavily adorned with graffiti. We were very glad to get off and walk down to the entrance of the historical site. Entry is 15 Euros which is not bad value as there is lots to see. We didn't have long for our tour so we decided to target specific areas. Tour groups were in abundance as usual. Not at all sure I could be bothered with 'following the flag' even if I had paid for a tour. We overheard a number of the guides and they were quite difficult to understand. We bought a book and had a wander at our own pace. The weather was quite dull, it must be quite arduous to visit on a hot summers day. Not quite as tough as the day the 20,000 inhabitants were engulfed of course. We enjoyed our visit and were very pleased we had made the effort. We still had to  brave the train ride back to Sorrento of course. It was packed with commuters and tourists but at least it was cheap.

Pompeii Theatre

Terrace views - La Terrazza in Sorrento

Sorrento is full of Cafe's and  Restaurants but we chose to return to our favourite cafe the Veneruso on Corso Italia. It did not disappoint. Swanky service and high prices are not for us.

Day 9: Homeward bound

We had a fairly late flight, about 7pm so we had planned to use the day to wander Sorrento and maybe make use of the wonderful terrace at our B&B. However it rained quite heavily and the streets were quite slippery so it was not a good day to mooch around town. We had coffee in a lovely Cafe in town and people watched  then, later, we returned to Cafe Veneruso for lunch and a couple of their excellent Panini's. After the previous day's train experiences we decided to get a bus direct to the Airport. You can pick it up outside the Railway station. We were there early to ensure we grabbed the front seats. It seemed to take a very long route to the Airport but hassle was minimised, The train to Naples would have been tricky with bags and then we would have had to change to a bus to the Airport.
Naples Airport is not bad, we were there in good time and had comfy seats. TW is always reluctant to go through passport control too early. So we stayed land-side but after passing through security we had planned to eat. We ended up bolting down our pasta and running to the departure gate and we thought we had only just made our flight. As it happens though an Italian couple turned up even later than us!